 Helen Rumbelow in "The Times" dismissed it as "a shameless rip-off of "The Apprentice"", while Paul Whitelaw in "The Scotsman" declared it "ITV's shameless rip-off of both "The Apprentice" and "Dragons' Den"".Thomas Sutcliffe in "The Independent" was more positive, suggesting that "it might take", though also berating Peter Jones for trying too hard to emulate Sir Alan Sugar.Ally Ross in "The Sun" dubbed the show "The Crapprentice", noting that "where The Apprentice filled its hour with brilliant tasks and epic firing scenes, Tycoon has, well, nothing really".